Time controlled mechanism for coin controlled automatic phonographs



Feb. 13, 1940. R. JACOBSON TIME CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR COIN CONTROLLED AUTOMATIC PHONOGRAPHS Filed Dec. 14, 1937 INVENTOR.

fioazaer dncogsoM mgr/4 ATTORNEYS.

IV! TNESS.

ae-sea res. 13, 1940 2,190,025 Y UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICE.

TIME CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR COIN CONTROLLED AUTOMATIC PHONO- GRAPES Robert Jacobson, New York, N. Y. Application December 14, 1937, Serial No. 179,660

2 Claims. (Cl. 161-5) This invention relates to improvements incoin Patent No. 2,002, The eco d Se ctor unit controlled automatic phonographs and more par- ID is shown diagrammatically and includes a ticularly to a time controlled mechanism for fixed suppor ng bearing II in whi h a rc l automatically selecting at set intervals, a preseries of record selector p P p e i determined phonograph record to be played, and I! are slldably mounted. The outer ends of the for starting the operation of the phonograph. p un c s I! a Provided wi button heads Coin controlled automatic phonograph maand the heads may contain iden ific i n numchines which are installed for use in restaurants, bers or may be associated with numbers up taverns and other like public gathering places a dial platen There is on ph no raph rec for th entertainment f the patrons h patin the machine foreach selector plunger, and ronize such establishments are dependent for the selection of the records is controlled by the operation by patrons placing coins into the maa l Du E in O the Selected P 8 chine. By such act the patrons may through plungers- There is 8180 provided 011 the automanual actuation of a record selecting mechmatic phonograph machine a 11st thefiitles 5 anism, set the machine to play any one f a and selections of the records identified by the la predetermined number of phonograph records. Corresponding members associated with the P The main purpose of the invention is to b d buttons, but these details are well known and are in a phonograph machine of the above type, a not essential to the operation ofthe invention time controlled mechanism which will automati- Presently to b describedl cally select a predetermined phonograph record The Selector unit also includes a record and start the machine in operation at set time Cancelling ring which Surrounds the Series intervals, whereby a free record is played at of s ector, plungers 2 a d wh ch s normally the expense of the proprietor of the establishdisposed rearward of the button bonds it In ment for the enjoyment and entertainment of practice, the ca ell n ri I 4 is opera ve y i-the patrons present, connected to the cancelling push plunger I5 ar- Another feature of the invention resides in anged centrally of t e S e 01 p uns s $0 a time controlled mechanism for coin controlled that 1 9 inward Pushing 0f e Cancelling automatic phonographs wherein any previously plunger ii, the cancelling ring M will move forset record selector element or elements are auto- Ward and Tet-11m 811 pushed in Plungers I! to l matically moved to neutral or cancelling positheir neutral 0111761 Position D t0 the manual ;,0

tion, and after which a predetermined selector actuation of a S e d P nger I! to be p s element is moved to record selecting position and in record Selecting pos fl n- In my invent o the automatic phonograph set in operation for about to ri I automatically a a the playing ofv a free record. the cancelling ring I to cancelling position pre- Another feature 01' the invention is the proflr o y t0 h automatic actuation of a pr vision of a time controlled mechanism which determined selector plun e l2 o c rd S lect n may be installed'upon the coin controlled auto- P s ion a d the Simultaneous 81 8 0f the matic phonograph machine now in use without h i m c n i p i requiring changing the construction of such ma- Attached to h s pp I and e ndin forchines. wardly thereof is a bracket I! to which the Other features or the invention will appear in rm iat position of a rock lever I1 is p1vas the .l'iillowing specification is read in notally connected as at It, The rock lever I1 is junction with the accompanying drawmg, m independently operable with respect to the usual which: manually operated means of the selector unit.

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of the i v One end of the lever l1 terminates in a forwardly tion. extending post I! which extends inwardly of Figure 2 is a detail front elevatlonal view of the unit It and has bearing engagement with the record selector unit. the, rear side of the cancelling ring I. The

Figure 3 is a fragmentary diagrammatic view lever I1 is actuated by a solenoid I! to move the showing the use ofa variable resistance in the cancelling ring I to cancelling position as shown electric circuits in lieu of a transformer. in dotted lines in Figurei. The outer end of Referring to the drawing by reference charthe lever I1 is connected to the outer end of the actors, the numeral I 0 designates the record sesliding core armature 20 of the solenoid I 9 by lector unit of'a coin controlled automatic phonoa pin andslot connection 2|. The solenoid l9 graphmachine of the type shown inU.S. Letters is arxangedin an electric circuit A which in-.

"spaced bodied in an electric time clock 24 of. any con- The time clock 24 in closure 25 which is set plungers position as shown in com operating the device cludes the electric 'power wlres 22-22 of" a 110 -v., A. C. or D. 0. power supply system. The

circuit A is normally open by reason of the contact terminals 23-23 which are emventional construction.-

cludes a rotatable circuit to operate a half revolution on each actuation thereof to momentarily bridge the contact ter-' minals 23-23. It will be understood -that the electric time clock 24 may be set to operate the circuit closure 25 at various time intervals, such as every half hour. Arranged within the circuit A between the contacts 23 and the solenoid I9 is a transformer'26 which may be of the type known under the name Electropak to change the 110 v. A. C. current to '7 v., D. C. which is sufficient to energize the solenoid to effect actuation of the lever l1.

Connected to one of the record selector I2 is the outer end of an extension arm 2'1 carried by the outer end of the core armature 28 of a solenoid 29. The selector plunger '2 to which the solenoid is connectedis that which controls the selective playing of a free record, for upon energization of the solenoid, the said plunger is pulled inwardly to record selecting dotted lines in Figure l. The solenoid 29 is arranged in an electric circuit B which also receives its source of current from the 110 v., A. C. power wires 22-22. The circuit B is normally open by reason of the spaced contacts 30-30 which are arranged in the time control clock 24 just beyond the contacts 23-23, so that after a brief time interval after passing over the contacts 23-23, the rotatable circuit closure 25 will, bridge the momentarily close the circuit B. The .circuits A and B are successively closed to effect a successive energization of the solenoids l9 and 29 respectively with a brief lapse of time therebetween."

is a contact arm 35 normally disposed out of engag'ement with-a contact 36. The contacts 35 and 3B are arranged in the starting circuit C of the automatic phonograph machine. The circuit C is operatively connected to the coin trip device 31, which device employed for automatically starting the automatic'phonograph upon the ,depositing of the proper denomination of coin therein after havingfirst manually actuated the cancellingpush plunger ing push plunger or plungers I2.

31 to start the machine, the energizing of the circuit C performs such operation.

With further reference to the operation of the circuit B, it will be seen that when the circuit B is closed, the electro-magnet 32 will be energized, causing the armature 33 to be drawn down and causing the contact arm 35 to engage the contact 36 and thereby close the circuit C. To operate the coin trip device 31, it is only necessary that the circuit C be momentarily closed. The circuit C receives its electrical energy from contacts 30-30 and.

I and the record select- Instead of the the electrical source fromwhich the coin trip device is operated.

In operation of the invention, the electric time clock 24 is predeterminedly set to operate the circuit closer 25 at certain intervals such as every half hour, and as the circuit closer makes a half revolution it first bridges the spaced contacts 23-23 to close the circuit A, thus energizing the solenoid l9 and actuating the rock lever H, which in turn actuates the cancelling ring l4 to move any previously pushed-in record selector plungers I2 to neutral position. After a lapse of a few seconds, the circuit closer bridges the contacts 30-30 which closes the circuits B and C. The closing of the circuit B energizes the solehold 23 and actuates that plunger I! to record selecting position and which controls the selecengagement of the contact 35 with the contact 36 to close'the phonograph starting circuit C. The machine may now be said to be in record playing operation, and will remain so until such time as the playing of the record has been completed, whereupon the automatic stop associated with coin controlled automatic phonographs functions to render the same inoperative.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that by reason of the time controlled mechanism, a coin controlled automatic phonograph may be made to automatically play a record at predetermined intervals of time, depending upon the setting of the clock to function as a circuit closing device. Upon each actuation of the circuit closer 25, the patrons of an establishment, in which the automatic phonograph is installed are treated to the playing of a free record.

In Figure 3 of the drawing, I have illustrated a slightly modified form of the invention wherein variable resistances 3 and 39 are substituted respectively for the transformers 26 and 3| respectively in the circuits A andB. to reduce either A. C. or D. C. current to the voltage required to actuate the solenoids, and electro magnet.

While I have shown and described what I consider to be the preferred embodiment of my invention, I wish it to be understood that such changes and alterations as come within the appended claims may be resorted to if desired.

Having thus described the invention, what I ent of the United States, is:

1. A time controlled means for periodically playing a particular phonograph record of an automatic coin controlled phonograph comprising in combination, a manually actuated phonograph record selecting mechanism having a plurality of individual push elements adapted to be manually pushed to a set recordselecting position, record cancelling mechanism for returning one or more previously set push element or push elements to cancelled non record selecting position, electrically operated means for actuating the record cancelling mechanism including a normally open record cancelling circuit having a. pair of closely spaced electric contact terminals and a source of electric energy, a clock on which said terminals are mounted having a driven rotatable contact clock hand adapted to bridge said contact terminals to momentarily close said rec-" having a source of electric energy and a pair of closely spaced terminal contacts beingmounted on said clock adjacent to said first mentioned. pair 0! contact terminals for subsequent engagement by said contact clock hand whereby the circuits are successively closed by said contact clock hand during rotation thereof.

v 2. A time controlled means for periodically playing a particular phonograph record of an automatic coin controlled phonograph comprising in combination, a manually actuated phonograph record selecting mechanism having a plurality 01' individual push elements adapted to be manually pushed to a set recordselecting position, record cancelling mechanism for returning one or more previously-set push element or push elements to cancelled non-record selecting position, electrically operated means for actuating the record cancelling mechanism including a normally open record cancelling circuit having a pair of closely spaced electric contact terminals,

and a source of electric energy, a clock on which 7 said terminals are mounted having a driven rotatable contact clock hand adapted to' bridge said contact terminals to momentarily close said record cancelling circuit, electrically actuated means for selectively sliding a predetermined one 01' said push elements to record selecting position including a normally open record selecting circuit having a source of electric energy and a pair of closely spaced terminal contacts, said last mentioned terminal contacts being mounted on saidclock adjacent to said first mentioned pair of contact terminalsfor subsequent engagement by said contact clock hand whereby the circuits are successively closed by said contact clock hand during rotation thereof, a normally open automatic electric phonograph starting circuit, and v electrically actuated means connected to and responsive, to the closing of the selector circuit for closing said starting circuit.

Rom'r JACOBSON. 

